There are three approaches you can take with file analytics software: using free tools, expensive best-of-breed solutions, or a hybrid approach. This video covers the hybrid option—what Practice Leader Joe Shepley calls “The Honda Approach.”

First, leverage free tools to address ROT content.

You can take free tools, like TreeSize Professional, to analyze the wrapper metadata of the files to address ROT, (redundant obsolete and transitory) content. It’s not uncommon to have reductions in share drive volume between 30 and 60 percent.

Rent, don’t buy, more advanced file analytics tools.

Now take a look at more advanced tools, many of which are SaaS, cloud-based, and can be rented for a month to a year. Note that these can be modular and may employ artificial intelligence. With overall volume reduced by use of the free tool, you can focus your next efforts on sensitive data records, or other things you want to find. The idea is not to break the bank.